Welcome to a double book post. Prior to our Italy trip, I wanted to read something mindless or at least something that could likely be dropped for a week+ and picked back up again without missing a step. But given that there was some serious travel time... and thus lots of potential reading time... so I downloaded two books to my Kindle... both with one of my literary guilty pleasures at its core... vampires!
First up was Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris, which is the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series and the basis for the HBO series True Blood. I had not been overly impressed with the first book, but it was good enough and was the type of book I was looking for. I think part of the reason for my so-so feelings about the first book is that is so closely followed the first season of True Blood. I realize that this was not Harris' fault, if anything, she should be applauded for providing the inspiration, but still it kind of felt to me like watching a sport event that I already knew the result of.
I had thought this second book might be different as I knew the TV series took a "going rogue" approach with the book, using it as an outline of sorts but doing its own thing (i.e. one of the characters that was killed at the end of the first book lives on in the current Season 3 of the show). But alas, while there were differences it still was a bit too close to each other and again I was finding it wasn't holding my interest as there was no tension in what would happen next. Again, I can hardly blame Harris or the book for this...
... but that said, this book only confirmed that I prefer the TV series to the books. While the books are light and entertaining, I can't say that it would be the fine writing that would bring me back to them... though again, they're not meant to fine literature. So I do not see myself continuing on with this series. While again I hear rumors that the show is detouring more and more from the books, at least in these early volumes the plots seem close enough that (a) I wouldn't want to read the book beforehand to have the TV series spoiled or (b) the situation that I found myself in with the first two book of reading a re-hash of what I already know. I have plenty of other easy read/cleanse the palate fall-backs that I think I would think would be a better use of my reading time. So while not a totally irredeemable read, it does get as low a I tend to go with book ratings... 2 out of 5 stars.
So it probably seems odd that my next book would be yet another vampire-centric one, but one where I have a history of being critical of the previous book and writing style. While I didn't finish Living Dead until after our return for Italy, when it was time for a new book shortly thereafter I still wasn't feeling I had the mental capacity for a "serious" book, so since Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer was handy, I decided to just roll with it.
Unless you been living under that proverbial rock, I am sure everyone is familiar with the continuing saga of high school heroine Bella and her love for vampire Edward, which has been under threat from the increased challenge of werewolf Jacob. So while I haven't been kind to earlier books (here are links to my posts to Twilight and New Moon), just from a pure pop culture phenomenon standpoint I have remained committed to reading the books ... and tend to do so just prior to release of movie versions (so I guess don't look for me to put a wrap on the books until 2011)... and truthfully, it has not been a burden on me, the books are certainly entertaining enough.
The good news here is that I maybe I am softening up in my old age... or else Meyer and/or the Twi-hards are wearing me down as I think this was easily the best book of the series. Meyer's writing has definitely improved from book-to-book and the better news is that I did not find Bella to be anywhere as annoying in this one. That's a big deal as my feelings for her really weighed down my opinion of the earlier books. Also, while I was reading this one I finally watched the first movie (airing on Showtime) and I have to admit I started to "get" what all the fuss was about. Granted it wasn't a great film or certainly award-winning acting, but could see what the Team Edward (RPatz) fuss was about... and obviously thanks the media the next two films have received, I certainly know what the fuss is all about with Jacob (and Mr. Lautner).
But before you think I have officially converted, I thought the book dragged on for far too long. While I thought some of the back-stories were interesting, particularly the vampire ones (I am not good enough to rattle off/keep straight the Cullen clan), it just kept on postponing the big showdown... and by the time I got to it, I found it to be a bit anti-climatic. Overall though a big improvement. I gave the first two books 3 out of 5 stars, my standard "good"/a'ight rating... so grading on that curve, I gave Eclipse the bump up to 3.5 stars... though certainly it's the proverbial apples and oranges, not to be compared with other books that I give out 3/3.5 star ratings.
So that's your vampire update. I have/had yet another vampire book on my to-be-read list... Justin Cronin's The Passage, which is the hot/"it" book of the summer... so while it is quite a different take on vampires (not objects of love/affection), I just don't see myself reading it for a bit longer until I let these books get out of my system!
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